Laminate material for the protection of body parts and device comprising such laminate

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a laminate material, comprising an upper layer (I) and a lower layer (II) which is joined to the upper layer over substantially the entire surface thereof, the upper layer (I) comprising a thin layer of leather material ( 1 ), and the lower layer (II) comprising a layer of material which can be stretched in two directions, in which laminate material the lower layer (II) comprises at least one support layer ( 3 ) which is resilient in two directions and comprises at least two sorts of interwoven fibres, at least one type of fibres being produced from an elastic substance, as well as a layer ( 5 ) of a compressible substance which is joined to the support layer over substantially the entire surface thereof and is resilient in three mutually perpendicular directions.  
     The invention also relates to a device for protecting a body part of a human or an animal, comprising a laminate material of this type.

[0001] The present invention relates to a laminate material, comprisingan upper layer and a lower layer which is joined to the upper layer oversubstantially the entire surface thereof, the upper layer comprising athin layer of leather material, and the lower layer comprising a layerof material which can be stretched in two directions.

[0002] FR-A-2 680 478 describes a laminate material in which a layer ofleather with a thickness of between 0.2 and 1.0 mm is adhesively bondedto a prestressed lower layer of stretchable material. The stretchablematerial is either a fabric comprising an elastomer or a layer ofrubber. The material has a good elasticity and combines a number ofadvantageous properties of leather and stretchable material, and isused, for example, for shoes.

[0003] However, none of the known laminate materials described is ableto simultaneously satisfy the requirements of flexibility,shape-restoring properties, protection for body parts which are to becovered and breathability without eliminating the advantages of theleather layer. These demands are imposed, for example, on shoes or otheritems of clothing for people with diabetes, deformities or otherdisorders which impair the circulation or whose skin is very easilydamaged otherwise.

[0004] The present invention provides a solution to the above problem,and to this end is characterized in that the lower layer comprises atleast one support layer which can be stretched in two directions andcomprises at least two sorts of interwoven fibres, at least one type offibres being produced from an elastic substance, as well as a layer of acompressible substance which has been joined to the support layer oversubstantially the entire surface thereof and can be stretched in threemutually perpendicular directions.

[0005] In this way it is possible, for the first time, to create alaminate material which is simultaneously flexible, shape-restoring,soft and protective, and also breathable. The support layer comprisinginterwoven elastic fibres and other fibres is primarily responsible forflexibility and more rapid recovery of the leather material, the layerof compressible substance is responsible primarily for softness andprotection, while it is in part the combination of the two whichprovides the shape-restoring property. The breathability is ensured bysuitable selection of breathable substances for the two part-layers ofthe lower layer.

[0006] In this way, an extremely suitable and comfortable material iscreated for, for example, shoes for diabetics. Other applications willbe dealt with in more detail below.

[0007] The laminate material according to the invention is stretchableand has elastic properties which are comparable to those of the thinnestleather layers. This will be dealt with in more detail in the discussionof the Examples.

[0008] The elastic substance can be selected from the usual elasticsubstances, for example the substance which bears the trade name Lycraor products of a similar type. Other elastomers are also possible, inwhich case, if necessary, the ratio to the other fibres used has to bemodified on the basis of the elasticity and other mechanical propertiesof the elastomer.

[0009] The compressible substance advantageously comprises asubstantially open-cell cured plastic foam. This material combinessoftness and flexibility, and therefore also a protective action againstexternal influences, with the required breathability. Moreover, it isextremely lightweight, making it beneficial and comfortable for any bodyparts which are to be protected by the material.

[0010] In a particular embodiment of the laminate material according tothe invention, the plastic foam comprises latex foam. Latex is asuitable material which is very simple to foam and cure to produce avery lightweight yet flexible, resilient and elastic open-cell curedlatex foam. Nevertheless, other breathable, lightweight plasticsmaterials are conceivable, such as polyester sponge and the like.

[0011] The open-cell cured latex foam preferably has a density ofbetween 25 and 35 kg/m³. This density gives a good compromise betweenthe weight of the material, flexibility and strength. Nevertheless,other densities are also conceivable. For example, if the requirementfor protection is more important, it is possible to use a denser andheavier foam.

[0012] The layer which can be compressed in three mutually perpendiculardirections preferably has a thickness of between 0.5 and 2.5 mm, morepreferably of between 1.0 and 2.0 mm. At this thickness, a protectiveaction which is sufficient in most instances is obtained. Therefore,partly in combination with the other layers of the laminate material, amaterial which is suitable for many different applications and is nottoo thick is formed. Naturally, it is possible, for example, to select adifferent, greater thickness if protection is a more important factorthan flexibility. It is also possible to vary the thickness of thematerial over the surface. This results in the possibility of offeringadditional protection only where it is desired, by providing a greaterthickness of material, while where flexibility is required, for exampleat the instep of a shoe, there is no additional material, so that thereis no adverse effect on the flexibility.

[0013] In addition to the fibres made from elastic materials, it is inprinciple possible to select numerous types of fibres for the supportlayer, for example synthetic fibres, such as polyamide fibres, and otherstandard textile fibres, such as cotton and the like. In an advantageousembodiment, the support layer comprises between 82% and 95% of fibres ofa polyester material and between 18% and 5% of fibres of an elasticmaterial. A support layer of this type has particularly goodshape-restoring properties in combination with the required flexibility.Moreover, polyester material exhibits unexpectedly good adhesion tolatex, so that the combination of polyester material as synthetic fibrefor the support layer and latex for the compressible layer is ofparticular benefit.

[0014] At this point, it should be noted that throughout the entiredocument percentages relate to ratios by mass, unless expressly statedotherwise.

[0015] In principle, the support layer may be located either between thelayer of leather material and the compressible layer or on that side ofthe compressible layer which is remote from the layer of leathermaterial. It is preferable for the support layer to be situated betweenthe layer of leather material and the layer of the compressiblesubstance. This offers the advantage of providing better protection forthe layer of leather material against excessive stresses. Particularlyin the event of external influences, for example impacts against a hardobject, the layer of leather material could be dented relatively deeply,with the result that it would be greatly stretched and therefore couldtear, since it is so thin. As a result of the support layer beingapplied directly beneath the layer of leather material, for example bymeans of adhesive bonding using a breathable adhesive layer, an externalpressure of this type is distributed over a larger area, so that thelayer of leather material is better protected.

[0016] The mass per unit surface area of the support layer is notlimited to any particular extent, although it is preferable for thesupport layer to have a mass per unit surface area of between 140 and180 g/m². Within this range, a particularly favourable combination of anoverall mass which is not excessively great and a favourablepreponderance of the support layer over the layer of leather material isachieved. The intention of this measure is for the shape-restoringproperties of the support layer not to be adversely affected, or to beonly slightly adversely affected, by the specific resilience of thelayer of leather material. Moreover, this level of mass per unit surfacearea is suitable for offering sufficient protection for the layer ofleather material, as described above. If a slightly stronger, lessflexible product is desired, it would be possible to select a slightlygreater mass per unit surface area, for example 200-220 g/m².

[0017] The way in which the fibres in the support layer are interwovenmay, for example, be in the form of a woven fabric. However, in the caseof a woven fabric it is only possible to achieve sufficient elasticityif there is a large number of fibres made from an elastic material in atleast one direction. It is preferable for the support layer to have aknitted structure. It is more preferable for the support layer tocomprise a fabric having an embroidery structure, which is obtained bywarping. By providing the support layer with a structure of this type,this layer is provided with its own flexibility and, above all,elasticity. Consequently, if desired the proportion of fibres of anelastic substance can be reduced, so that the support layer becomes lessdependent on the further mechanical properties of the elastic substance.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment, the leather material comprises naturalleather with a thickness of between 0.2 and 1.0 mm. Natural leather hasan excellent combination of flexibility, elasticity, breathability and agood moisture balance. Moreover, natural leather satisfies the visualdemands which are imposed on shoes and can be provided with virtuallyany desired colour.

[0019] It is preferable for the layer of natural leather to be between0.4 and 0.6 mm thick, if large shoe parts are being produced, such asfor example the entire shoe upper. For smaller parts, which may often besomewhat more flexible, thinner material, for example with a thicknessof 0.2 mm, is also suitable.

[0020] The natural leather is advantageously selected from the grainlayer of a hide. This offers the finest texture and, after tanning, thebest flexibility. Nevertheless, a different layer, for example a suedelayer from a deeper hide layer, is also possible. It is advantageous toselect hair-sheep leather, preferably from small animals. This providesnatural leather of optimum flexibility and elasticity. However, othertypes of animals, such as goats and sheep, are not ruled out.

[0021] In another attractive embodiment, the leather material comprisesimitation leather, which comprises a layer of interwoven fibres of apolyester material and fibres of an elastic material. A layer of thistype can be given an appearance which strongly resembles naturalleather, with the breathability being retained and the elasticity evenbeing slightly better. The imitation leather preferably comprises 92% ofpolyester and 8% elastane, and the density is approximately 260 g/m².This ratio and density ensures very good elasticity and strength. Oneexample of a material of this type is “microfibre” material produced byTexpiel. Other ratios, between 88 and 93% of polyester, and a densitybetween approximately 230 and 270 g/m² can be used where there aredifferent demands with regard to elasticity or strength.

[0022] In an advantageous embodiment of the laminate material accordingto the invention, the layer of the compressible material is joined, onthe side which is remote from the layer of leather material, oversubstantially its entire surface, to a lower support layer which canstretch in two directions. In this way, the layer of leather material isprovided with still further protection against external influences, byan additional support layer on the underside of the compressible layer.Moreover, any influence acting on the compressible layer from the insideis better distributed over this layer. For example, in the case of shoea deformity or a toe may exert an undesirably high pressure on thecompressible layer. The lower support layer allows this pressure to bebetter distributed.

[0023] The lower support layer is advantageously composed ofsubstantially the same fibres as the support layer, and the lowersupport layer has a mass per unit surface area of between 100 and 120g/². In this way, use is made of the smallest possible number ofdifferent materials, with the result that there will be the smallestpossible number of compatibility problems and it will be possible tocontrol the mechanical properties very successfully. Moreover, the lowermass per unit surface area ensures that the lower support layer does notbecome too strong, so that in this way it is possible to prevent anyexcessive pressure on body parts or other objects covered by thelaminate material. However, it is not necessary to select the same typeof fibres if certain other demands imposed on the lower support layerare held to be of greater importance.

[0024] The leather material used often has a direction of maximumelasticity. The elasticity in a different direction, for exampleperpendicular to the direction of maximum elasticity, is thensignificantly lower. Advantageously, at least one out of the supportlayer and the lower support layer has a direction of maximum elasticityand a direction of lower elasticity which is perpendicular to thedirection of maximum elasticity, the lower elasticity amounting tobetween 40 and 60% of the maximum elasticity. More advantageously, thelower elasticity is 50% of the maximum elasticity.

[0025] It is preferable for the direction of maximum elasticity of thesupport layer and/or the lower support layer to coincide with thedirection of maximum elasticity of the leather material used. Thisorientation of directions of maximum elasticity imparts betterstretching properties to the laminate material and offers a betterdistribution of pressure when the material is in use. In the presentcontext, the term coinciding of the direction is intended to mean thatthe said directions include an angle which is less than 15°, preferableless than 5°.

[0026] In principle, the laminate material according to the invention isparticularly suitable as a material for shoes, for example. In thiscase, in a number of situations a type of lining will still be fitted onthe inner side. In a preferred embodiment of the laminate material, thelower layer also comprises, on the side which is remote from the layerof leather material, a covering layer of a water-absorbent materialwhich can stretch in two directions. Partly, this layer may serve as alining, as additional protection for the laminate material, but aboveall it can absorb moisture which is produced during use of the materialand release it again. Particularly in the case of shoes and the likemade from the laminate material according to the invention, there areconsiderable advantages involved in combining a moisture-absorbentlining layer of this type with the laminate material, for example byadhesive bonding using a breathable adhesive. This prevents anydisplacement of the layers with respect to one another. Suitable typesof glues include, for example, MOR-AD 909 and MOR-AD 903-45 EA producedby Arly. These are polyurethane contact adhesives. They are eminentlysuitable for flexible substrates, such as leather and polyester foam.

[0027] The material of the covering layer can be selected from allsuitable lining materials, but it is preferable for the covering layerto comprise a thin layer of leather material or a layer of fibres of awater-absorbent plastics material interwoven with elastic fibres. Thesematerials have very suitable moisture-absorbing properties, while themechanical and, in particular, elastic properties are very well matchedto those of the other layers of the laminate material. The layer ofleather material used may preferably be a layer of a similar type to theoutermost layer of the laminate material, with a thickness preferably ofbetween 0.2 and 0.6 mm. Since the visual requirements are much lessimportant, while resistance to damage caused by friction is much moreimportant, it is also possible to select a type of leather materialwhich is matched to these demands but still has the required flexibilityand elasticity.

[0028] The water-absorbent plastics material can in principle beselected from numerous such materials, such as viscose, ethylenevinylacetate and the like, but it is advantageous for the water-absorbentplastics material to be a polyamide material. This material has theadditional advantage that it is a material with a soft feel, causingrelatively little inconvenience or damage to the skin on contact. Thismakes it a particularly suitable material for the covering layer for,for example, shoes and the like.

[0029] An embodiment in which polyamide material together with elasticfibres is selected for the support layer, if appropriate the lowersupport layer and the covering layer, has the advantage that it has apositive effect on the elastic properties. This embodiment is preferredover those with polyester fibres if elasticity is extremely important. Amaterial of this type is used, for example, in small, stretchablecomponents of, for example, a shoe.

[0030] In an advantageous embodiment, the covering layer comprisesbetween 75% and 85% of fibres of polyamide material and between 25% and15% of fibres of an elastic substance. This ratio provides the coveringlayer with very good flexibility and elasticity properties, while themoisture-absorbing capacity remains very good. The proportion ofpolyamide fibres is preferably 81-82%.

[0031] The covering layer advantageously has a mass per unit surfacearea of between 150 and 180 g/m², more advantageously of approximately170 g/m². A mass per unit surface area of this type provides thecovering layer with sufficient strength, flexibility, moisture-absorbentproperties and also a sufficiently low weight.

[0032] The covering layer can be joined to the lower support layer in awide range of ways. For example, it can be joined by adhesive bondingover the entire surface using a breathable adhesive. Preferably,however, the lower support layer is joined to the covering layer bymeans of flame-melting of a layer of spongy polyester material locatedbetween them. What this is intended to mean is that a layer of spongypolyester material is placed between the covering layer and the lowersupport layer of a layer of laminate material, the polyester materialbeing partially melted by means of heating, for example with the aid ofa flame. As a result, the polyester material can be joined to both thecovering layer and the lower support layer.

[0033] Therefore, one advantage of this adhesive layer and associatedmethod is that there is little if any risk of spots forming. Moreover,the spongy material also provides the overall laminate material with acertain extra softness.

[0034] The polyester material comprises substantially pure polyestermaterial which is foamed to approximately 20 kg/m³ for a startingthickness of approximately 2 mm. Naturally, this starting thickness isreduced during the flame-melting.

[0035] The above combination of layers, namely a layer of open-cellcured latex foam which is adhesively bonded on at least one side to asupport layer comprising polyester fibres interwoven with fibres of anelastic substance is also inventive in itself. The combination of layersas described above, i.e. the laminate material according to theinvention without the thin layer of leather material, may encompass allaspects as described above and indicated in claims 1-21. Generally, itis advantageous for at least one support layer also to be joined to alayer comprising polyamide fibres interwoven with fibres of an elasticmaterial. This combination offers a material which can provide the skinof body parts covered therewith with protection against shear forceswhich may occur in the event of movements. Moreover, it offersprotection and is soft, flexible and breathable, and the layers exhibitunexpectedly good adhesion.

[0036] The invention also relates to a device for protecting a body partof a human or an animal, comprising a laminate material according to theinvention.

[0037] In particular, a device of this type is selected from the groupconsisting of shoes, shin pads, knee pads, elbow pads and slings. Acertain degree of flexibility and strength in combination withprotection is important for all these examples. With regard to shin padsand knee pads and the like, consideration may be given not only tohumans, but also to, for example, horses or other riding animals or packanimals. In particular, consideration should be given to products whichare prescribed for a medical condition. In particular, diabetics, forexample, have a skin which is very easily damaged and, moreover,particularly in the case of the legs and feet, has relatively littlefeeling. Consequently, chafing and pinching parts of shoes can quicklycause injuries which, moreover, are often difficult to heal. For thesepeople, but also for people who have, for example, growths or otherdeformities on the foot, well-fitting and appropriate, i.e. flexible andprotective, footwear is extremely important. Nevertheless, anyone canmake use of the advantages of the invention, for example for morecomfortable footwear.

[0038] The invention will be explained in more detail in the descriptionof the figures which follows, with reference to the drawing, in whichthe only FIGURE shows a diagrammatic structure of a laminate materialaccording to the invention.

[0039] The FIGURE shows, by way of non-limiting example, a diagrammaticcross section, through a laminate material according to the invention,comprising a layer of leather material I, a lower layer II and a lininglayer III.

[0040] The layer of leather material I comprises a layer of leather 1.

[0041] The lower layer II comprises a layer of adhesive 2, a supportlayer 3, a layer of adhesive 4, a layer of compressible material 5, alayer of adhesive 6 and a lower support layer 7.

[0042] The lining layer III comprises a layer of polyester sponge 8 anda covering layer 9.

[0043] The layer of leather material I in this case comprises a layer ofnatural leather with a thickness of approximately 0.2 to 1.0 mm. Thethickness is preferably approximately 0.2 mm to 0.6 mm. At thisthickness, natural leather is sufficiently flexible and elastic for usein the laminate material according to the invention.

[0044] The natural leather comprises, for example, suede from goat'sleather, and preferably the grain layer of hair-sheep leather. This isleather from a cross between a goat and a sheep, which is found in someAsian countries. This latter type of leather is characterized by anextremely high flexibility with a relatively fine implantation of hair,and therefore a fine surface. It is advantageous to select hides ofsmall animals, which provides the leather with even further flexibility.

[0045] After the chrome-tanning of the hides, with a combination of oilsselected for optimum flexibility of the leather, the leather is split tothe desired thickness, preferably electronically. During the tanning,the initially parallel fibres start to “turn”, i.e. they becomeincreasingly interwoven with one another. Although this provides theleather with greater strength, it also looses some of its flexibilityand elasticity. It has been found that this “turning” does not occur, orat least occurs to a much lesser extent, in the top layer, the grainlayer. Therefore, it is preferable to select this grain layer for theleather which is used in the laminate material according to theinvention.

[0046] The leather material is treated with an agent making itwater-repellent. However, the leather material still remains breathable,i.e. water vapour can still be dissipated to the environment.

[0047] The layer of leather material I is secured to the lower layer IIover substantially its entire surface by means of adhesive bonding usinga layer 2 of breathable, self-binding adhesive gel.

[0048] The support layer 3 comprises, for example, a knitted fabriccomprising 92% of polyester material and 8% of Lycra and having a massper unit surface area of 160 g/m². This support layer 3 is in turnadhesively bonded over substantially its entire surface, by means of alayer 4 of breathable, self-binding adhesive gel, to a layer 5 ofopen-cell cured latex foam, although another soft, flexible and elasticsubstance may also be suitable. It is preferable for the latex to be afoamed natural latex with a density between 20 and 50 kg/m³, morepreferably of approximately 30 kg/m³. The thickness of the layer is, forexample, between 1 and 2 mm. If desired, the thickness of the layer mayvary over the surface of the material, in order to provide a slightlygreater strength where desired, by using a greater thickness, or toallow greater flexibility and freedom of movement by using a reducedthickness.

[0049] An antibacterial agent or an odour-suppressing agent, or acombination thereof, may be added to the latex material. Theodour-suppressing agent is preferably selected to be carbon, in a ratioof 2% to 6% of carbon, remainder latex. The proportion of carbon ispreferably approximately 4%. The antibacterial agent which is added ifappropriate makes a negligible contribution to the weight and is notincluded when specifying the ratios.

[0050] The latex layer 5 is joined to the lower support layer 6 by meansof yet another layer of breathable, self-binding adhesive gel, which isthis time not illustrated. The adhesive gel is, for example, a hot-meltadhesive which is activated at a temperature of around 170° C.

[0051] The lower support layer 6 comprises, for example, substantiallythe same material as the support layer 3, except that in this case themass per unit surface area is selected to be approximately 110 g/m².

[0052] By flame-melting of the polyester sponge 8, the lower layer IIand the lining layer III, in particular the covering layer 9, are joinedto one another. In the process, the polyester sponge is partiallymelted, resulting in an adhesive action which is able to join the twolayers substantially without spots.

[0053] Finally, the covering layer 9 is in this case, for example, aknitted fabric comprising 81% of Polyamide and 19% of Lycra, with a massper unit surface area of approximately 170 g/m².

EXAMPLES

[0054] A number of samples of the laminate material have been prepared,and subjected to tests in order to establish their elastic properties.

[0055] In the following Table the results are listed. TABLE Samplenumber I A I B II A II B Tensile properties Elasticity [N/mm] directionX 16.5 13.5 12.1 7.3 direction Y 15.4 10.7 8.7 7.8 Elongation at break[%] direction X 85.6 30.6 74.3 78.5 direction Y 91.2 110.6 72.5 25.8Deformation resistance [%] direction X 3.8 5.0 6.0 7.3 direction Y 3.34.3 3.0 2.0

[0056] In the Table,

[0057] ‘I’ indicates a laminate material comprising a leather layer, aLycra support layer, a latex layer, and a lower support layer of Lycra.‘II’ indicates a laminate layer comprising a leather layer and a Lycrasupport layer, hence without Latex or lower support layer.

[0058] ‘A’ indicates that the leather layer had a thickness of 0.55±0.05mm, and ‘B’ indicates that the leather layer had a thickness of0.25±0.05 mm.

[0059] The tensile properties have been measured according to a methodbased on Pr. EN.W.I.02.19.

[0060] The deformation resistance was measured as the remainingelongation (with zero load) after the sample had been elongated by 15%for 1000 times.

[0061] The results indicate that, although the constant of elasticityincreased when the leather-Lycra double layer was laminated to latex andthe Lycra lower support layer, the total laminate material still has auseful elasticity and flexibility. Furthermore, the total laminatematerial showed increased tensile strength, because both the constant ofelasticity and the elongation at break increased upon lamination to thelatex/lower support layer. Also, the deformation resistance of thelaminate material improved over the leather/Lycra double layer. All theabove features indicate that the quality of the material for e.g. shoesimproved remarkably, as it showed better shape retention properties andbreak resistance, while still having favourable elastic properties.

1. Laminate material, comprising an upper layer (I) and a lower layer (II) which is joined to the upper layer over substantially the entire surface thereof, the upper layer (I) comprising a thin layer with a thickness of between 0.2 and 1.0 mm of leather material (1), and the lower layer (II) comprising a layer of material which can be stretched in two directions, characterized in that the lower layer (II) comprises at least one support layer (3) which can be stretched in two directions and comprises at least two sorts of interwoven fibres, at least one type of fibres being produced from an elastic substance, as well as a layer (5) of a compressible substance that has been joined to the support layer over substantially the entire surface thereof and can be compressed in three mutually perpendicular directions, wherein the compressible substance comprises substantially open-cell, cured plastic foam:
 2. Laminate material according to claim 1, characterized in that the plastic foam comprises latex foam.
 3. Laminate material according to claim 2, characterized in that the open-cell cured latex foam has a density of between 25 and 35 kg/M³.
 4. Laminate material according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the layer (5) which can be compressed in three mutually perpendicular directions has a thickness of between 0.5 and 2.5 mm.
 5. Laminate material according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the support layer (3) comprises between 82% and 95% of fibres of a polyester material and between 18% and 5% of fibres of an elastic material.
 6. Laminate material according to one or more of claims 1-4, characterized in that the support layer (3) comprises polyamide fibres.
 7. Laminate material according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the support layer (3) is situated between the layer of leather material (1) and the layer (5) of the compressible substance.
 8. Laminate material according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the support layer (3) has a mass per unit surface area of between 140 and 180 g/m².
 9. Laminate material according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the support layer (3) has a knitted structure.
 10. Laminate material according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the leather material comprises natural leather.
 11. Laminate material according to one or more of claims 1-9, characterized in that the leather material comprises imitation leather which comprises a layer or interwoven fibres of a polyester material and fibres of an elastic material.
 12. Laminate material according to one or more of claims 7-11, characterized in that the layer (5) of the compressible material is joined over substantially its entire surface, on the side which is remote from the layer of leather material (1), to a lower support layer (7) which can be stretched in two directions.
 13. Laminate material according to claim 12, characterized in that the lower support layer (7) is composed of substantially the same fibres as the support layer (3) and has a mass per unit surface area of between 100 and 120 g/m².
 14. Laminate material according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one out of the support layer (3) and the lower support layer (7) has a direction of maximum elasticity and, perpendicular to this direction, a direction of lower elasticity, the lower elasticity amounting to between 40 and 60%, preferably 50%, of the maximum elasticity.
 15. Laminate material according to claim 14, characterized in that the direction of maximum elasticity coincides with a direction of maximum elasticity of the leather material.
 16. Laminate material according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lower layer (II), on the side remote from the layer of leather material (1) also comprises a covering layer (9) of a water-absorbent material, which can be stretched in two directions.
 17. Laminate material according to claim 16, characterized in that the covering layer (9) comprises a thin layer of leather material with a thickness of between 0.2 and 1.0 mm or a layer of fibres of a water-absorbent plastics material which are interwoven with elastic fibres.
 18. Laminate material according to claim 16, characterized in that the water-absorbent plastics material is a polyamide material.
 19. Laminate material according to claim 18, characterized in that the covering layer comprises between 75% and 85% of fibres of polyamide material and between 25% and 15% of fibres of an elastic substance.
 20. Laminate material according to one of claims 16-19, characterized in that the covering layer (9) has a mass per unit surface area of between 150 and 180 g/m².
 21. Laminate material according to one or more of claims 14-20, characterized in that the lower support layer (7) is joined to the covering layer (9) by means of flame-melting of a layer (8) of spongy polyester material located between them.
 22. Laminate material, comprising a layer (5) of open-cell cured latex foam which, on at least one side, is adhesively bonded to a support layer (3, 7) which comprises fibres of an elastic material which are interwoven with fibres selected from polyester and polyamide fibres.
 23. Laminate material according to claim 22, characterized in that at least the support layer (3, 7) is joined to a layer (9) which includes fibres of an elastic material which are interwoven with polyamide fibres.
 24. Device for protecting a body part of a human or an animal, comprising a laminate material according to one of claims 1-23.
 25. Device according to claim 24, characterized in that the device is selected from the group consisting of shoes, shin pads, knee pads, elbow pads and slings. 